Share & Voice: Sunchip Bags

Image courtesy of Google Images

ABC News Article
I am sure most of you have either consumed or at least seen the Eco-friendly biodegradable bags that Frito Lay designed for their product Sunchips.  Well, in recent news consumers of Sunchips are upset because the bags are too loud.  This effort to be Eco-friendly and create a bag that, even if littered, would break down over the course of a couple weeks into nothing has been shut down by our society who disliked it because it was "too loud."  If you ask me this does not seem like such an inconvenience that we need to discontinue producing a completely biodegradable product because it makes a little noise.

Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1: My SMART Goal

My SMART Goal:

I will eat at least 4 servings (1/2 cup) of fruits or vegetables (or a mix) every day for the next 10 weeks.

Image Courtesy of Google Images

How is this change is Eco-Chic?

This change is Eco-Chic because it not only is beneficial for my personal health and nutrition, but it also reduces the amount of processed food and trash I create from eating packaged food items.  Also, I am going to do my best to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Why I chose this behavior?

I chose this specific behavior because I realize that I do not consume nearly enough fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.  I constantly find myself eating what ever is quick and easy, primarily during the day, in order to continue through my busy schedule.  I also realize that eating these packaged food items contributes to the negative food production that we have been covering in class as well as creating way more waste than I should be as a environmentally aware citizen.

Blogged for the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change Week 1 hosted by Amy@Amy in the Rain

Advocacy Project: My Political Representatives

President:
Barrack Obama (D)
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
202-456-1111

Congress:
Senate:
Russ Feingold (D)
La Crosse Office
425 State St., Room 225
La Crosse, WI 54601-3341
(608) 782-5585
Fax (608) 782-5802
Hours: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Herbert H.Kohl (D)
Eau Claire Office
402 Graham Ave., Suite 206
Eau Claire WI 54701
(715) 832-8424
Fax: (715) 832-8492

House:
Ron J. Kind (D)
Eau Claire Office
131 S. Barstow St.
Suite 301
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Hours: 8:30am - 5:00pm
(715) 831-9214
Fax: (715) 831-9272

Governor:
Jim Doyle (D)
Madison Office
P.O. Box 7863
Madison, WI 53707
608-266-1212

State Legislator:
State Senate:
Kathleen Vinehout (D)
Madison Office
Room 104 South
State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, WI 53707

State Assembly:
Chris Danou (D)
Madison Office
Room 303 West
State Capitol
P.O. Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708

County Board President:
District 11 Representitive
Olin Femreite
36087 Sheila Blvd
Whitehall, WI 54773

District 12 Represtntitive
John Aasen
W15478 Aasen Ln
Whitehall, WI 54773

City Mayor:
Rod Moen (n/a)
P.O. Box 215
Whitehall, WI  54773-0215

**I provided the location of each individuals office closest to my hometown, because multiple office locations were listed

Reflection: Weeks 5-8

It is hard to believe that we are already over half way through this semester, and I can honestly say that I have learned a ton and never thought that I would be so into environmental health.

Week 5: I completed an eye opener called, Eating Green Calculator. Following the completion of the eye opener I took a deeper look at my results and realized they were based upon the consumption of purchased meat and such products. However all of the beef I consume is from my family farm and all other meat product I harvest by hunting. It was very alarming though to see what purchasing meat form the store can amount to, actually it was rather scary.

Week 6: We watched a film called “FRESH” which I found really alarming and eye opening. Also, we created a graphical header for our blog using Picnik. It was really neat to see how easy it is to create a very professional looking blog heading. Throughout this week I also completed the ‘Read n’ Seed’ for the third quarter of my book "Exposed."

Week 7: This week was almost overwhelming to me; it began by researching a cosmetic product we use on a daily basis on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Guide. This database provides a ranking from one to ten of how hazardous specific cosmetic products are, it was incredible how many items people in the class had looked up that claimed to be ‘natural’ that actually contained some very hazardous ingredients. Also, we finished up our books and it was extremely interesting to read everyone’s final take on their book.

Week 8: We watched a movie called “Tapped” which was all about the problems that bottled water have caused in the United States along with the toxicity of the plastic in the bottles themselves. We also had to do an eye opener called “Junk on the Brain” it took a look at junking, antiquing, thrift stores, flea markets, and upcycling. We were instructed to investigate the Junk Market Style website and find interesting things that other people had junked. Soon we will be completing our own junking project!

Well, that is weeks 5-8 in a nutshell, I cant wait to see what else is in store for the upcoming weeks. Also, we have been split into new blog groups and I can not wait to see what my new group members have to say!

Eye Opener: Junk on The Brain

Part I
Antiques/Antiquing: In the tradition, fashion, or style of an earlier period; old-fashioned; antiquated.
Junk/Junking: Any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags.
Flea Market: a market, often outdoors, consisting of a number of individual stalls selling old or used articles, curios and antiques, cut-rate merchandise, etc.
Thrift Shop: A retail store that sells secondhand goods at reduced prices.
Upcycling: The process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.
Resale Shop: The act of selling again.

Part II

Each of the previous term have to do with the reuse of items.  They pertain primarily to the use of one person's discarded belongings, wether obtained directly or purchased, by another person as if the item is new to them.  These items completely sum up what it means to say, "One mans trash is another mans treasure." The reuse of someones belongings allows that item to be used in a new and innovative way, and helps cut down on the amount of items being sent to dump sites and the rising problem we have with trash in this country.

Local Resources:

Antiques/Antiquing
Father Time Antiques
395 S Lake Ave # 1, Duluth, MN 55802-2311
(218) 625-2379 ‎

Junk/Junking
Andy's Auto Recycling
1040 State Highway 45 Old, Carlton, MN 55718-9225
(218) 384-3930

Flea Market
Downtown Hinckley Fleamarket
100 Old Hwy 61, Hinckley, MN 55037
(320) 384-6938 ‎

Thrift Shop
Savers
1740 Mall Dr, Duluth, MN 55811-3839
(218) 722-1894 ‎

Upcycling
I could not find anything on upcycling in Duluth or the surrounding area.

Resale Shop
Plato's Closet
5115 Burning Tree Road, Duluth, Minnesota
(218) 733-9455

I have used a few of these before, I have been to savers multiple times and also shop at resale shops like T.J. Maxx.  Also, I have always brought used clothing to Goodwill and Savers since as long as I can remember.  These other types of stores and venues have really caught my attention as well, I am going to look further into these and hopefully familiarize myself with them even more.

Part III

Here is a satellite that was turned into a sun screen, I thought this was a really neat idea and it reminds me a lot of all of the old satellites I used to see in peoples yards.  It also makes me wonder what was done with all of them because I used to think they were one of he coolest things.

Here is an apron window valence, I thought this was extremely clever and a really neat way to use these old aprons that are still fully functional.  It also reminds me of something that my grandmother would have at her house!

This one is very simple, however I loved it and it reminds me a lot of my childhood.  My mom has used a lot of "Farm Junk" for yard decorations around our house, plus I love the Scarecrow.

Share & Voice: Wellness Walk

This past summer I was given the opportunity to complete a portion of my internship at the YMCA in Eau Claire, WI.  Through this opportunity I developed their employee wellness program and worked along side the Health & Wellness Director at the YMCA along with may other individuals from community organizations.

This flyer, sent to all area businesses, advertises a campaign that our staff at the YMCA along with the Public Affairs Director for to Eau Clair Area Chamber of Commerce to promote walking during lunch break for employees along the route.  This event was staged as a promotion to kick off a total program that the chamber is going to implement starting late next spring.

Read 'n' Seed 5: Fourth Quarter and Final Review of "Exposed"

 

Image compliments of flavorpill.com

After completing the final three chapters of Exposed, I have once a gain been opened up to another realm suspicious events occurring within out own government. The final three chapters titled: Chemical Revolution, Transpacific Drift, and The New Diplomats; really summed up the purpose of this book and continued to reiterate the message that the author has been portraying.

Ch 7: Chemical Revolution

This chapter is broken into five categories, Human Test Dummies, Fall & Rise of the Environmental Mohicans, Chemical Reaction, Making of a Transatlantic Lobby, and American Missionary in Brussels. This first looks at the amount of toxic chemicals found in grandmothers and grand daughters and looks at the amount to toxic chemicals we as citizens are exposed do. The next section discusses REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals) and the Europeans effort to make this common practice. Making of a Transatlantic Lobby discusses the fact that the European Union’s biggest opposition is the United States and their huge contingent of lobbyist that represent major chemical companies and seem to always be standing in the way of what the EU is attempting to complete

Ch 8: Transpacific Drift

Through this chapter the main theme was ‘China and the Next Big Thing’ and how if the European Union is to make REACH work, the manufacturing powerhouses throughout the globe would have to be on board. The chapter discusses how China’s vast economic and ecological footprint are not only reshaping the global economy but also reshaping global climate. Since China is second only to the United States in Greenhouse Gas emotions, and the EU has pretty much given up on the U.S., the primary focus of environmental health throughout the world has now been shifted to china. The chapter concludes by stating how China was faced with the decision to go one way or the other with its environmental process and they chose to follow the path of Europe, once again leaving the U.S. with a lot of catching up to do

Ch 9: The New Diplomats

The final chapter of this book looks at how the United States used to play a groundbreaking role in the conservation of our environment. A professor at Brown University who was interviewed for the book states, “my students have no memory of U.S. environmental leadership. When I talk about how the United States was a pioneer of global environment standards, they look stunned, like I’m some kind of crazy Apologist for the U.S. government.” The remainder of this chapter continues to discuss how the U.S. used play a significant role in the preservation of the environment throughout our world, but some where along the line morals and value were traded for money and greed.

Overview:

After reading this book I was truly amazed at the amount of information I gathered. I assumed that it would be a lot more vanilla than it really was and the fact that it went hand-in-hand for some of the course work we have been doing helped out greatly. The three most significant things I learned would have to be the impact that the European Union has had on the safety of the entire world, the openness that every other country except for the United States has had to following the research and ideas of the EU, and finally the absolute blind-eye that the U.S. turns to certain issues, especially those that effect its citizens in severely hazardous ways. This book opened my eyes to see what truly is going on in ‘Corporate America’ and educated me to become more informed about the things I am not only putting into and on my body, but to all of the products that I encounter on a daily basis and what goes in to creating them.

As a whole I would recommend this book to others because of its educational purpose, but also because it cultures you to realize that other countries do truly care about their citizens and the appropriate measures are being taken to protect people in this world.

I found this review on Amazon.com, and I think it reflects my feelings on this book in almost an identical way:

I had not realized till I read this book that Europe seems more interested in health than corporate profits, as evidenced by how closely they watch modern products. The US used to be a leader in this regard, but now govt agencies are tools of big business. It's sad, but the hope is that the standards that the Europeans set (and by osmosis, Japan and China) will gradually improve the safety of products in the US. No company likes having two versions of a product.